Method of finishing or polishing glass articles.



l G. R. WEST.

Patented Jan. 2, 1917.

Y k Ww, @00 A k///%% FIG BEST AVAILABLE coe GEORGE R. WEST, GF PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA.

METHOD F .EINISHING OR POLISHING GLASS ARTICLES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 2, 1917.,

pplcatfon led June '/31, 1913. Serial No. 775,136.

T0 all zo om 't mog; concern:

Be it wn that I, Gnonen It. iVnsT, a citizen o. the United States, residing at i in the county of Allegheny and Bei'msylyania, have invented cer- Y l v tain nm and useful Improvements in Methods-offiihishing or Polishing Glass Articles, of which the following is a specification.

The prime object of my invention is to provide a new and improved method of finA ishing or polishing the surface of a glass article, and particularly the interiorvl surface thereof.

My improved method is particularly apcomes into direct contact with thc surface to be finished, the object being to reheat and melt the surface. In carrying out the fireblast method, a mixture of gas and 4air is usually employed as the fuel, land such a mixture coming into direct Contact with the article is objectionable in that certain hai nful'substances contained in the mixture, as for example sulfur, is transferred to the surface to be finished. My invention is to be distinguished from these methods inf that I dispense with the use of a blast and its ae companying disadvantages, and, further, that in carrying out my process, I do not re heat nor melt the surface to be polished or finished.

In the accompanying drawing, which A illustrates means for carrying out my improved method: Figure 1 is avertcal sectional view showing a mold, a ring thereon, and a plunger inserted into the mold; Fig. 2, is a similar view showing the plunger and ring removed, with the molded glass within the mold; and Fig. 3 is a similar view showing in connection with the mold and the molded article, a tool or closure device employedincarrying out my process.

Referring to the drawing, 1 designates a mold of the usual and well known construction, 2 a ring superposed thereon 'and having a depending flange 3, and l a plunger'.

The article to be manufactured is formed by lowering the plunger into the mold. After this ope/ration, the plunger is withdrawnand the 1ii1gren1oved .from the mold. In carrying out my method of finishing or polishing a surface o the glass article, I preferably, but not necessarily, treat the molded or shaped glass while in the for1n ing mold. In thc accompanying drawing, theshaped article is shown in the mold, and in this case I apply to the mold a heated tool orclosure 5, as particularly shown by Fig. 3. This closure 5 may be of any desired form and construction. preferably of such shape as to co-act with the mold in forming a compa ratively tight tit to prevent 'or retard the escape of heat from the interior has been withdrawn from the mold and the ring removed therefrom, the mold is closed by placing the heated tool or closure thereon, thereby retaining or retarding the escape of heat and at the same time introducing to the surface to be finished radiated heat.

a comparatively short time, a very desirable polish or finish is given to the surface of the article desired to be finished.

Under my method of polishing, I dispense with a fire-blast and, of course, no sulfur is carried into contact with the surface of the article, and in the practice of my process, any foreign particles carried bythe plunger or in the atmosphere that may be deposited on the ,surface to be linished, are consumed, leaving the said surface smooth and effectively polished. 'i

What I claim is l. The method of making a glass article Witha' polished surface which consists vin roo essi AVAILABLE coP A with a polished .surface w ich consists in shaping the molten glass in af mold, and then polishing a face thereof by producing an inclosing cavity in which the face to lbe polished is in direct opposition' to but spaced i from a cavity Wall Aformed to produce a heat radiation action within the cavity sub-` stantially uniform throughout the article face.

4. The method of making a glass article with a polished surface which consists in shaping the molten glass in a mold, and, while maintaining *contact of article and mold on the portion of the article to be unacted upon, in'closing the article b producing a cavity in which the ace to e polislied is subjected to heat radiation substantiallr uniform throughout the article face. The method of makin a glass article with a polished surface w ich consists in shaping the molten glass in a mold, and, while maintaining contact of article and mold on the portion of the article to be unacted upo'n, inclosiug the article by producing a. cavity in which the face to be pol-4 ished is free from llame Contact and lsubmold, and then polishing a surface thei-co'i 4 by substituting a heated tool for the shaping toolto form an inclosing cavity lor the article and maintaining the heated tool 'spaced from the surface to be polished.

7. The method of making a glass article with a polished surface which consist;A `iii successively shapingthe molten glass in'a mold and polishing the sui-fare liygradiant heat without interi-nediate cooling oi' the article below the temperature ol the polisln ing heat,I

8. The rmethod oi polishing surfaces ol Yshaped glass articles which consists in forming,r a closed article-containing cavity with that wall of the cavity opposing the surface to be polished spaced from such surface and heated t'o sulijcctthc surface. to the actioni'of adiant heat from the wall.

" 9. '1 he lnethod oi: polishingr surfaces of 'shaped glass articles which consists in toriniiig a closed. article-containing cavity prior to substantial loss of the shaping heat hy the article' with that wall ot' the cavity opposing the surface to he polished spaced from such surface and heated to subject the surface tothe action of radiant heat from the wall.

In testimony whereof I allix my signature in presenceof two witnesses.

GEORGE li. WEST. [Ls] W. G. Dooiiir'rnn, F. E. Garn-IER. 

